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Venice teeters on the edge of cliché with its lacework of canals,
its domes and gilded spires, its kiosks with straw gondolier hats
and refrigerator magnets in the shape of the Piazza San Marco.
Postcard fodder, and yet...

With teams using more than 100 unique apparatuses to launch globular projectiles a half-mile or more, the 27th annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin event is our pick as November’s Weird Festival of the Month.

Venice is beautiful—improbably so, a centaur-like hybrid, neither
land nor water but somewhere in between as it lifts from the
green of the Adriatic. The city is drenched in
so-exquisite-it-hurts beauty: the tracery of arches in the Doge's
Palace, the pinpoint of lights from boats in the lagoon at night.
The grime of centuries eats at its stones, but the decay is
luscious. The seduction proceeds.

It has been so for centuries. To be a tourist in Venice is to
join a procession reaching back to the 14th century, when
pilgrims stopped en route to the Holy Land. To capitalize on its
geography as the departure point for voyages to the East, the
canny Venetians created festivals to coincide with the influx, a
hint of the commercialism to come.

Irritating, that wallet-squeeze, but one you inevitably force
yourself to stomach, particularly when catching sight of the
Venice silhouette for the first time from the mainland shore of
the lagoon. To get at the essence of Venice, we asked the
experts—a group of professional photographers—what they see when
they look at the city. From their most treasured scenes to their
favorite hotels, they've given us five beautiful reasons to love
this city even more than we already do.

--Photographer: Olimpio Fantuz

"I've been coming to Venice from nearby Treviso since I was a
child. It's one of the most unique cities in the world, not only
for its breathtaking architecture and frailty, but also for its
endless array of angles. One of my preferred perspectives is the
canal behind the Basilica di San Marco. From the lagoon side on
the Ponte della Paglia, you can see this, but it's nearly
impossible to get an unobstructed view because of the wave of
tourists on the Ponte della Paglia. Farther down the canal,
inside the tangle of buildings, you get this stunning look at all
four bridges lined up and anchored at the end by the Bridge of
Sighs. This is the kind of place that's spectacular in every
season and in every shade of light." See the shot.

"For all the obvious reasons, I understand why Venice receives
the deluge of tourists it does in summer. I prefer the city in
winter, when this photo was taken inside Caffé Florian, in Piazza
San Marco. Then, the cafe is melancholy like the lagoon.
Neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city are nearly silent. For
me, this photo captures that moment. You see empty tables and
locals enjoying their gilded cafe. I believe the beauty of Venice
is found in its time of tranquility." See the shot.

Tip: Should you sit when there's a band playing
at a cafe like Florian, you'll be charged an additional $8.75.
caffeflorian.com, coffee and table service $8.75.

"For Venetians, high waters are an ugly and perilous occurrence.
I snapped this photo just behind Palazzo Ducale [Doge's Palace]
on a rainy October day, and it strikes me because the Venetians
are just plodding through the torrents rising around them. They
persevere, as they have for nearly 1,000 years. I settled in the
nearby Veneto region nearly 50 years ago, and I find the water
and flooding quite beautiful. The natural process of high tides
has long defined Venetians and their city. It encourages
sociability and is what's prevented cars from taking over. Now
that the Moses dam is being built under the lagoon to limit
flooding in Venice, you probably won't see this magical event as
often." See the shot.

"For me, Venice's beauty is found in its authenticity. Over the
past 30 years, I have traveled there on assignment a couple times
for National Geographic, spending weeks scouring the edges of the
city, photographing gondola repair shops, stone carvers chiseling
tombstones, fishermen hauling in heaps of netting. In 1994, I
took this photo of a fisherman near the Hotel Cipriani. The mood
was beautiful that evening—the atmosphere with those strong blue
colors all around. This man was just finishing up his day, doing
tasks that had been done in the lagoon for centuries before him."
See the shot.

"There is something about Venice that goes against modern
comforts. I find it a very difficult place. You have to take a
boat or walk to get anywhere, and even then there are infinite
detours. I wonder if the true Venetians are ever at ease. I took
this photo in 2009 near the Rialto fish market. It was midday
when I turned the corner to find this group of men chatting
together over a late lunch. I've been coming to Venice since I
was 7, and even in these modern times with massive tourism, the
Venetian lifestyle is still here; it hasn't completely
disappeared." See the shot.

My favorite hotel: The eight-room Cà Arco
Antico, which exudes a timeless charm, with its Murano
chandeliers and lead-latticed windows. arcoanticovenice.com, from
$87.